Sharing Three Projects.

I have had a very few minutes to sew since having this little guy. I did make him this changing pad! The old one had zero elastic stretch left. I made it with some remnants I had on hand. 

Painted Herringbone-Patterned Canvas...2 Ways.

I bought these two square canvases at a thrift store probably a year and a half ago. They had baby-themed seahorses and other items on them. 

I painted over them with white primer and then did a herringbone pattern. The first pattern was intended for the kitchen. But I thought it was too 80's-esque. At least, my husband thought it was very 80's. So I painted over it. So the blue one, seen here, does not exist. 

Then, I went with green. And with four rows. And yes, it's probably just as 80's-themed! But somehow I like it better. I just need to hang it somewhere. 

I followed the instructions from this project.

And I'm sure it's hard to tell which you like better, since it isn't hanging on the wall yet, but what is your opinion? Which color scheme is better? 

Even if I decide I dislike the green pattern as well, I've only spent a few dollars on the project. And I could probably re-repaint the canvases again. 

Living Room Updates (New Pillows!!)

A few months ago, my husband and I rearranged our living room. We really just moved the couch away from the wall and moved the coffee table out, replacing it with an ottoman. (I wish it were the type of ottoman with storage inside, but it isn't.) I wanted to make new pillows and covers to replace these pillows which I made two years ago. 

Baby #3: Nursery

My husband said to me this weekend, “You seem to think the baby is coming any day now.”

And yes, I think it is. I am 39 weeks pregnant. I felt that it is reasonable to assume the baby could show up any day.

With that in mind, here is one corner of the baby’s room.

Living Room Decor

I made this little bike print for our living room. I used a map for the background (which is part of a whole map/window project my husband and I did last year that never got onto my blog here) and I added a bike transfer.

DIY Couch Pillows & Covers [the frugal way]

I’ve been wanting new couch pillows for awhile now. I’ve scoured Ikea. (I didn’t like the prints. I didn't like the way all the pillows looked deflated.) I’ve priced new pillows at Target. (Too expensive. Too common.)

Upcycled Corbel Shelf

I wanted a shelf for school supplies in our study room. If you recall, I painted a chalkboard-topped desk a few months ago for this same room. 

I wanted a shelf to keep certain items out of the little hands of two little boys. I was able to upcycle the corbels I used for this shelf from the old farmhouse that used to sit on our property. Quick explanation of the old farmhouse can be found here. 

A Wreath Made of … What?!

Wood Shavings. And a coat hanger.
 
My dad uses a plane to smooth wood in his shop. And the plane makes these curly wood shavings which he felt were rather decorative. And he was trying to think of a way to use them. Because he (like me) can’t bear to throw away scraps of anything.

So he challenged me to use them.

And maybe by itself, it isn’t that great of a wreath. But behind some glass jars, it looks decent and adds some texture to my shelf.
 
I think I’ll keep it there for now.

Would you like to make one?

Framed Wreath with Felt Garland

We have nothing decorating the white walls of our downstairs bathroom. Nothing. I decided it was time to change that.

Some Fall-ish Decor and Farmer's Market Finds

I did a bit of decorating in anticipation of the arrival of fall. I don't have a mantle (yet) but I do have this wood mirror handcrafted by my dad, so I often switch up the display on it. I just used things I had lying around the house. 

Chalkboard Topped Desk

We've started homeschooling at our house. Our oldest is only three, so it isn't exactly rigorous. I wanted to make him a fun workspace. But I didn't want to spend much money. We decided to start with this desk we've had in our garage for a year. My parents were going to burn it, but I thought we might want it. This is the before:

We decided on a chalkboard top. I had some chalkboard spray paint on hand, so I used it. 

Kitchen Desk/Command Center

When we moved into our home, I wanted a desk in the kitchen. My wonderful husband and father decided to make the desk themselves. My husband also restored the white cabinets from the house that was torn down to build our new home. (Read more of that story here.)

Thrifted & Spray Painted Mirrors

 I got these mirrors at a thrift store. I am not usually one for thrifting. However, I went into the store looking for something specific. I didn't find what I was looking for. But I found these. I knew that with a little paint, they would make a good birthday present for my mom. 

I failed to take a 'before' picture. But I spray-painted these black, so they looked like the went together.

And for a few dollars, I have a pretty cute gift for my mom. 

Glass Dry-Erase To-Do List.

For my birthday (which was in January!), my dad made me this big picture frame. I had asked for something this size to use as a dry erase board in our kitchen. (Glass can be used as a dry-erase board.) I wanted to have a giant to-do list but wanted something more decorative than a plain white dry erase board. I had envisioned organizing it with different grocery store lists, a to-clean list, etc.

However, I couldn’t decide what to put behind the glass. This is what I’ve finally settled upon.

Handmade Placemats

A good friend of mine is getting married in a few weeks. I’m in her wedding. My oldest little guy is the ring bearer. It’s his first ring-bearing gig. That’ll be fun.

Organizing with Crates

I love wood crates. I’ve pinned lots of ideas for using them. I just finished two for my home.

Baby’s Room: Finishing Touches

My little guys still live in totally white-walled rooms.  I haven’t even considered painting. Just seems like too big of a decision to pick a paint color. And too big of a job to move all the furniture, mask, and paint. Especially since we just moved in last August. 

So I keep making their rooms cuter by adding touches to the walls. I made the hat rack above by taking a piece of white moulding, spray painting it, and adding some hooks. Actually, my husband added the hooks when he hung it.

Drawer to Shelf Hanging Instructions- from my Husband

I've had a few emails and comments asking how we hung my drawer-turned-shelf. 

Well, I had a little help. My husband, Greg, put it up. He's here today with a blueprint for mounting your own drawer-turned-shelf onto your wall.

It looks complicated, but it's three easy steps. Promise.

This picture shows the screws and where it was mounted to the 1x4 boards:

Thanks so much to Greg! Hope this helps all of you create an affordable storage solution securely mounted to the wall.

Craft Storage Shelf from a Drawer

I needed a shelf for my craft supplies. Want to see how I turned an old drawer into a shelf?

Simple Placemat Tutorial

My kitchen needed some spring updates. And since I live in a home where spring means it is {finally} time to get out our road bikes, I figured I’d give it a little bike theme. Similar to the bike kitchen towels I made a few weeks ago. 

Here is how I made four of these cute placemats.